MLB Futures Game: Five Emerging Stars to Watch in Showcase at Dodger Stadium
While all eyes will be on the Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game, and for good reason too, fans shouldn’t forget about the MLB Futures Game. The event showcases the best and brightest up-and-coming stars from around the league. Many of these prospects are the future building blocks of their respective franchises so seeing them in action now should create a lot of buzz among fans.
The game is set to happen today at 4 PM PST at Dodger Stadium. The broadcast will happen exclusively on Peacock and Sirius XM with MLB Network broadcasting it tomorrow.
With the starting lineup unveiled earlier today, here are 5 can’t miss prospects to watch out for.
Francisco Alvarez (New York Mets)
Ranked as the number 2 overall prospect in all of baseball, Alvarez has a knack for hitting. Despite struggling a bit after being called up to Triple-A (.449 OPS), he absolutely destroyed opposing pitching down in Double-A (.921 OPS). Alvarez has a lot of potential to be a big contributor at the plate when his time comes. Just take a look at what MLB Pipeline had to say.
"Álvarez’s trajectory toward becoming an All-Star catcher seems to get more assured by the month.”
Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Ranked as the number 3 overall prospect, Caroll's hitting has also been highly rated. However, it's his speed that has the attention of every scout. Rated with 70-grade speed (out of 80), many around baseball have identified that skill as a "game-changing tool."
He's a menace on the base paths and can even use that speed to his advantage roaming out in the outfield. Through 64 games this season in the minors, the former 2019 first-round draft pick owns a 1.087 OPS.
Diego Cartaya (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Cartaya has a bright future ahead of him. The top overall prospect for the Dodgers is starting behind the dish in the Futures Game and for good reason too. He .946 OPS in 62 games so far this season and was promoted to High-A in June where he's posted a .423 OBP.
The 20-year-old has been compared to Royals' slugging catcher Salvador Perez, so it's no wonder why they were willing to let go of fellow catcher Keibert Ruiz last summer.
Jack Leiter (Texas Rangers)
Jack Leiter is the son of Al Leiter who was an All-Star and 2x World Series Champion. The younger Leiter stands at 6'1" and is projected by scouts to possess an elite fastball.
The former Vanderbilt Commodore and second overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft has struggled mightily (6.30 ERA) this season after being sent straight to Double-A. However, he's still projected to be a future ace.
Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles)
Lastly, there's Gunnar Henderson. Not much has gone right for the Orioles over the past couple of seasons, yet Henderson is one. Henderson has played mostly on the left side of the infield while in the minors and was called up to Triple-A in June posting a .393 OBP.
Whether his future home in the bigs is at shortstop or third base is unknown, but what is, is the fact that he'll be a major contributor in the lineup for the O's.
